Apparatus and method for the manufacture of telephone cables

ABSTRACT

A double twist machine uses a reel on which two or more wires have been wound. Guides are provided within the double twist machine for simultaneously guiding all of the wires and imparting two twists to the entire set as the wires proceed through the double twist machine to thereby produce a set of wires twisted about each other which are all simultaneously taken off a single bobbin or reel. The number of wires on each reel and the number of bobbins mounted within the machine may be varied to produce telephone cable twins, triplets, quads and the like. A take-up used in conjunction with a bank of such machines can produce a wide variety of telephone cables.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/795,067,filed Nov. 20, 1991, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field Of The Invention

The invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for themanufacture of telephone cables of the type including a single or aplurality of sets of twisted wires.

2. Description Of The Prior Art

Telephone cables of the type which include a plurality of pairs oftwinned wires are conventionally manufactured in either two stages or inone stage.

In the case where the cables are manufactured in two stages, the twinnedwires are firstly prepared by twisting the wires together by means ofso-called "twinning" or "pairing" machines. The twinned wires are thenmade up into telephone cables by means of, for example, stationarytake-ups, so-called rotating take-ups or drum twisting machines.

One form of twinning machine conventionally used for manufacturingtwinned wires is the double twist twinning machine. This machineincludes a bobbin cradle around which is arranged a rotatable frame orbow which is driven to turn around the cradle. Wires to be twinned maybe either supplied from bobbins on the bobbin cradle inside the twinningcage and taken up on a take-up reel outside the twinning cage. Theaforementioned arrangement is sometimes referred to as a "inside-outmachine". The wires to be twinned may also be supplied from outside ofthe twinning cage and taken up on a bobbin arranged within the bobbincradle. The latter configuration is sometimes referred to as an"outside-in machine".

Outside-in machines are generally preferred in single twinners since thewires may be supplied from storage facilities of simple construction andgreater capacity. In this case, the bobbin cradle within the twinningcage is also required to hold only a single bobbin. The "outside-in"machine is also readily adaptable for use with a greater number ofwires.

If telephone cables are made in one stage, the apparatus involvedcomprises a plurality of twinning machines of the "inside-out" type. Thepairs so manufactured are directed to any type of take-up (e.g.stationary or rotating take ups, single or double twist machines,capstan or extrusion lines) for laying up twinned wires to form atelephone cable. This is done in one operation.

The plurality of double twist twinning machines can be arrangedhorizontally or vertically, depending on the preferred plant lay out.One typical example of such an installation is disclosed in CanadianPatent No. 997,633.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus formaking telephone cables which does not have the disadvantages andlimitations inherent in comparable prior art machines.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus ofthe type aforementioned which is simple in construction and inexpensiveto manufacture.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide anapparatus of the type under discussion which allows the construction ofsmaller machines which occupy less space.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for the manufacture of telephone cables which can operate atsignificantly higher speeds than comparable machines currently beingused for making the same telephone cable products.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatusfor making telephone cables which makes it possible to enhance oroptimize the productivity of extrusion machines which extrude the wiresto be formed into the telephone cables.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for the manufacture of telephone cables which cansignificantly reduce the number of bobbins required by at least onehalf, thus providing lower capital costs and material handling expenses.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for making telephone cables which makes it possible to windmore than two wires on the same bobbin and produce, with the samemachine, different telephone cables including triplets or quads (threewires or four wires twisted together).

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for making telephone cables which can utilize two or morebobbins at least one of which is provided with a set of at least two ormore wires thus allowing additional flexibility in the number of wiresthat are twisted together with a minimal number of reels or bobbins.

It is still an additional object of the invention to provide a methodfor the efficient production of telephone cables.

It is yet an additional object of the invention to provide a versatilemethod which enables the production of a wide variety of twisted cableswith the minimum number of reels or bobbins and, therefore, machineswhich occupy less space than comparable machines currently used to makethe same cables.

In order to achieve the above objects, and others which will becomeapparent hereafter, an apparatus for making telephone cables withmulti-wire reels in accordance with the present invention, comprises aframe and rotating means arranged for rotation about an axis relative tosaid frame. A cradle is mounted on said frame and dimensioned andconfigurated to be contained within an envelope defined by said rotatingmeans and adapted to receive as few as a single reel mounted within saidcradle and at least one reel of which is wound with a set of at leasttwo wires which can be simultaneously unwound from the reel. Means isprovided for maintaining the position of said cradle substantially fixedabout said axis relative to said frame during rotation of said rotatingmeans. Guide means simultaneously guides the set of at least two wiresfrom said at least one reel on said stationary cradle to said rotatingmeans and thereafter to said stationary frame thereby imparting at leastone twist to the set of at least two wires unwound from the reel. Theapparatus may be used with two or more wires on the reel or theapparatus can be designed to accommodate two or more reels at least oneof which is provided with two or more wires which can be simultaneouslyunwound. Single and double twist machines can supply said twisting meansused to practice the invention.

The method in accordance with the invention comprises the steps ofsimultaneously unwinding a set of at least two wires wound on as few asa single reel. The wires are all guided to a twisting station andimparted at least a single twist. In this manner, a set of twisted wiresmay be produced with the use of only one reel. The same process can beused to unwind wires from at least two reels in, for example, a doubletwist machine with at least one reel being provided with a set of atleast two wires. The method may involve using reels which have beenpreviously wound with a set of at least two wires or the method mayinclude the step of first winding a set of at least two wires on a reel,and loading the reel into the twisting machine for twinning. For morecomplex cables, the steps of the method are repeated in each of thetwisting machines of a bank of twisting machines arranged in tandem toeach other. The method further comprises the step of taking up thetwisted wires from all of the twisting machines at a point downstreamfrom all such machines to form a composite cable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment of the present invention when taken in conjunctionwith the drawings, as follows:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a double twist machine inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the double twist machine shown inFIG. 1, additionally showing the rotating bows and the structure forrotatably mounting the bows;

FIG. 3 are three fragmented schematic representations of two wires atdifferent locations within the double twist machine shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged and fragmented partial view of an initial pulleywhich guides the wires as they are unwound from the bobbin, having awide circumferencial groove for accommodating two wires received fromthe bobbin and further provided with a retaining band;

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4, except that instead of one wide groove twoseparate grooves are provided one for each of the two wires; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a bank of twisting machines ofthe type, for example, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 arranged in tandem, allfeeding a common take-up.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now specifically to the drawings, in which identical orsimilar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout,and first referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a multi-wire single bobbin machine1 is shown as a double twist machine having its axis of rotation Aarranged in a generally vertical direction. The machine 1 includes amain frame and cover assembly 2 which includes a lower support platform2a and an upper support platform 2b. Fixed on the lower support platform2a is a cylindrical bearing housing 4 the axis of which coincides withthe axis A. The bearing housing 4 is fixedly secured to the lowersupport platform 2a by any suitable or conventional means, such as L orC angle irons or beams 6 which may be fastened to the bearing housing 4by means of any conventional fasteners 8. Secured at the upper and lowerends of the bearing housing 4 are bearings 10 and 12, respectively.Rotatably supported on the bearings 10, 12 is a vertical shaft 14 whichis fitted at the upper end thereof with a bearing 16. A reel cradle 18is rotatably supported on the bearing 16, at the lower end thereof, andby a rotating support member 20, at the upper end thereof. Referringspecifically to FIG. 1, the rotating support member 20 is provided witha downwardly depending pivot shaft 22 which is rotatably received withinthe bearing 24, the upper end of the rotating support member 20 beingrotatably supported by bearing 25 in bearing housing 26 supported on theupper support platform 2b. Therefore, the shaft 14 as well as the cradle18 are rotatably mounted relative to the fixed frame 2.

Mounted on the shaft 14 is a deflecting pulley 28 which rotates with therotation of the shaft 14. The deflecting pulley 28 is mounted so that aperipheral portion thereof is coincident with the axis A of the machine,as shown. Similarly, a deflecting pulley 30 is provided at the other endof the cradle 18. The pulley 30 is mounted on the rotating supportmember 20 and similarly has a peripheral portion thereof aligned withthe axis A.

In the preferred embodiment, a dancer mechanism which guides the wireoff the reel or bobbin R is generally designated by the referencenumeral 32. The dancer 32 includes a generally upright dancer arm 34mounted on support 35 for pivoting rotation about a pivot shaft 36. Afirst pulley 38 is rotatably supported at the upper end of the dancerarm 34, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a further deflecting pulley ismounted on the dancer arm 34, above the pivot shaft 36. A furtherdeflection pulley 42 is mounted on the cradle 18 and is positioned suchthat a peripheral portion thereof is aligned with the machine axis A asshown.

By way of example, a back drive assembly 44 is provided to fix theposition of the cradle 18, acting between the bearing housing 4 and thereel cradle 18. The back drive assembly 44 includes a generallycylindrical rotating drum or housing 46 fixedly attached to the shaft 14by means of suitable discs or attachment members 48. As best shown inFIG. 2 a pair of bows 50 are arranged in diametrically opposite sides ofthe axis A and attached at the lower ends thereof by means of braces 52which secures the bows 50 to the rotating drum or housing 46 and,therefore, to the shaft 14. At the upper ends, as viewed in FIG. 2, thebows are connected to the rotating support member 20 by means of braces52 and a radial member 54. While two bows have been shown in a balancedconfiguration, it is also possible to use a single bow balanced by asuitable counterweight, as is well known in the arts, since the secondbow typically serves no function other than to balance the working bowwhich guides the wires.

The lower end of the shaft 14 is secured to any conventional drivemeans. Any drive means may be used to drive the shaft 14, such as beltand pulley, separate motor drive, gear box, transmission, clutch, gearand chain, etc. Where the drive includes a pulley 55, as shown, it maybe attached to the shaft 14 by means of suitable fasteners 55', thedrive pulley 55 being coupled to a belt B which is driven by any knowndrive (not shown). Rotation of the drive pulley 55 by the belt B rotatesthe shaft 14 and, due to the frictional forces in the bearings, some ofthe torque is also transmitted to the reel cradle 18. In order tocompensate for the torque applied to the cradle 18 and to maintain thecradle stationary relative to the frame 2, notwithstanding the rotationof the shaft 14 and the bows 50, there is provided a suitable epicyclicsystem 56 which can be fixed in any suitable manner on the rotating drumor housing 46 and provided with timing pulleys 58 rotatably mounted atopposite ends of a shaft 60 by means of bearings 61, the axis of theshaft 60 being substantially parallel to the axis A. The lower timingpulley 58 is coupled to the fixed bearing housing 4 by means of a belt62, while the upper timing pulley 58 is similarly coupled to the lowerportion of the cradle 18 by means of a belt 62. Since the upper andlower pulleys 58 are rigidly connected to each other so that they rotatetogether, it will be clear that the epicyclic system 56 will maintainthe position of the cradle 18 in a fixed position relative to thebearing housing 4 and, therefore, to the frame 2 as long as thecumulative transmission ratio for the epicyclic system is equal to one.While the back drive assembly has been described as a specific way ofmaintaining the cradle 18 stationary the arrangement shown is notcritical and any other known means may be used, such as counterweights,magnets, gear or belt arrangements.

Provided along one of the bows 50 are conventional guides 64, which maybe in the nature of eyelets, rolleys, pulleys, etc.

Mounted on the cradle 18 is a spindle 66 arranged to receive a reel orbobbin R. The reel or bobbin R can rotate on the spindle 66 in aconventional manner.

In order to provide tension control, there is advantageously provided atension control device arranged to pay off wire from the reel R. Thespecific take off and tension control device used is not critical,although an arrangement of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,588can be used. The pay-off and tension control device includes, inaddition to the dancer 32, a brake disk or pulley 72 provided with anoff center pin 74 dimensioned and configurated to be received withinsuitably sized hole within the flange of the reel or bobbin R. A belt orrope 76 extends about the brake disk or pulley 72 and is coupled to thepivot shaft 36. The operation of such a tension control system isdescribed in the aforementioned patent. Any other known tension controland unwinding arrangements may be used. For example, an independentdrive may be provided the speed of which may be controlled by thetension in the wires and the speed of rotation of the reel adjusted asrequired to maintain the tension in the wires at a desired value. Withthe latter approach, there is no need to use a brake disk or pulley 72.

Provided above the rotating support member 20, aligned with the axis A,are support brackets 78 which are shown as L-beams or angle irons whichmay be welded to the upper support platform 2b. Bridging the twoopposing support brackets 78, one on each side of the axis A, is asupport plate 80 from which support arms 82 extend upwardly, as viewedin FIGS. 1 and 2, and arranged to rotatably support a deflection pulley84, a peripheral portion of which is aligned with the axis A, as shownin FIG. 2.

The operation of the cradle 18 and the bows 50 is generally known, themachine of the type shown generally being designated as a double twistmachine or twinner. An important feature of the present invention is theprovision of guide means for simultaneously guiding a set of at leasttwo wires, whether joined or seperate, from the reel R on the cradle 18prior to twisting of the wires. Thus, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, thereel R is initially wound with two wires W which are to be twisted abouteach other. The two wires W are preferably simultaneously extruded on astandard extrusion machine. Alternatively, two separate wires separatelyextruded are simultaneously wound as a pair onto the reel R prior toplacing the reel within the double twist machine or multi-wire singlebobbin twinner 1.

As is best shown in FIG. 2, the pair of wires W are simultaneously drawnoff of the reel or bobbin R, with attendant rotation of the wheel orbobbin R about the spindle 66, and are initially brought into contactwith the pulley 38. The pulley 38, forming part of the wire guidesystem, should be configurated and dimensioned to accommodate and retainthe pair of wires was they are drawn off the bobbin or reel. Referringto FIG. 4, for example, the pulley 38' is shown to have an annular orcircumferential groove 90 having a width sufficient to accommodate bothwires W. Also shown in FIG. 4 is an optional wire guard or retainingband 86 surrounding the peripheral portion of the pulley 38' where thewires W first contact the pulley to insure that all of the wires thatare simultaneously drawn off are simultaneously guided to and engage thefirst pulley independently of the relative positions or angles of thewires on the reel. The band 86, which is not critical and may beomitted, can be secured to the ends of the dancer arm 34 by means of anysuitable fasteners, such as rivets 88. In FIG. 5, an alternate pulleydesign 38" is illustrated in which two separate adjoining annular orcircumferential grooves 90' are provided each dimensioned to securelyreceive and retain one of the wires W. The grooves 90, 90' should besufficiently deep so as to prevent dislodgment of the wires uponapplication of minor lateral or axial forces acting on the wires. One orboth of the pulleys 40, 42 may be similarly be configurated as pulley38. Beyond the pulley 52, the wires W are twisted and, therefore,advance as a group or single cable and, therefore, the width of thegroove 90 is less critical.

The tension in the wires W are maintained at a predetermined desiredlevel by the tension control device 32 and, after the wire engages thepulley 38, it is deflected towards the pulley 40 and subsequently by thepulley 42. Because the pulleys 38, 40 and 42 are all stationary relativeto the cradle 18, there is no twisting of the wires about each other upto the pulley 42. However, because the deflection pulley 42 isstationary relative to the rotating pulley 28, a single twist will beimparted to the wires W and the single twisted wires W' appear at thelower end of the bow 50 as suggested in FIG. 3. The single twisted wiresare then guided by the guides 64 to the opposite end of the bow 50 atwhich time they are again deflected by movable pulley 30 and stationarypulley 84. Again, because of the relative rotation of the pulleys 30,84, a second twist is imparted and the double twisted wires W" will havea higher degree of twist as suggested in FIG. 3. It will be understood,therefore, that the single bobbin twinner 1 is capable of producing atwisted pair of insulated wires with only a single bobbin, withattendant smaller size, higher speed and greater efficiency.

Numerous modifications may be made from the described presentlypreferred embodiment. Thus, while the guides which have been describedare primarily suited for receiving a pair of wires from the reel R, itwill be clear to those skilled in the art that when "triplets" or"quads" are to be produced, a reel R can be initially wound with threeor four wires, respectively, which are simultaneously wound and whichcan be simultaneously guided along the machine as described to impartdouble twists to the three or four wires. In theory, of course, anynumber of wires can be selected and the same procedure applied to twistall the wires about each other.

Additionally, it is possible to modify the presently preferredembodiment by enlarging the cradle 18 to receive two or more reels eachof which are pivotally mounted on a cradle, with at least one of thereels being wound with a set of at least two wires which can besimultaneously unwound therefrom. With this type of configuration, eachof the reels may include any number of desired wires so that the sumtotal of all the wires which are guided along the machine is a total ofall of the wires which have been wound about the respective reels. Inessence, all the wires are simultaneously paid off of all of the reelsand bunched together for passage through the double twist machine. Thus,for example, if two bobbins are mounted in the cradle with two wires oneach bobbin, the machine can operate as a quadding machine.

A drive for the reel R may be provided, the drive making the machinemore versatile since it permits smaller wires to be twinned withoutplacing excessive stresses on the wires or stretching the same. Oneexample of such a drive is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and designated bynumeral 96. The drive 96 includes a spindle drive motor 98 and belt 100coupled to the spindle 66. Alternatively, the reel may be fixed so thatit does not rotate at all, but the rotating member is in the nature of afly-off or take-off arm of the type well known in the art which rotatesabout the reel and flies off the wires off the reel.

Further, while the multi-wire reel has been described in the environmentof a double twist machine, it will be understood that such multi-wirereels may also be used in single twist machines. The method would besimilar except, of course, only a single twist would be imparted to allthe wires that are simultaneoiusly guided from the reel or reels in themachine. Double twist machines, however, are generally more suitable forthe production of telephone cables since the machines are much fasterand more efficient.

It would be readily evident to those skilled in the art that theapparatus is extremely flexible and can produce a wide variety ofcables. This versatility is additionally enhanced considering that abank of any number of multi-wire twinners 1 can be arranged in tandem,as shown in FIG. 6, each machine or twinner 1 producing its own desiredcable component or element consisting of n-wires double twisted abouteach other. The sum total of all of these cable components or elementscan then be taken up in any known or desired take-up device 94 which, inessence, assembles the cable components or elements into a desiredtelephone cable. Any take-up machine may be used, such as stationary orrotating, single or double twist machines, capstan, extrusion lines,etc.

The method of the present invention entails simultaneously unwinding aset of at least two wires wound on a single reel in a double twistmachine or the like, guiding all the wires through the machine andimparting a double twist to all the wires of the set of wires. In thismanner, a set of twisted wires may be produced with as few as a singlereel. As suggested, any number of separate wires can be unwound from areel to thereby twist a plurality of such wires about each other from asingle reel. Two or more wires can be extruded from an extruder andsimultaneously wound on a reel, and the reel loaded into the doubletwist machine or the like used for twisting the wires about each other.The present invention also contemplates repeating the aforementionedmethod in a bank of double twist machines arranged in tandem to eachother and taking up the twisted pairs from a plurality of double twistmachines and twisting them to form one composite cable.

The invention has been shown and described by way of a presentlypreferred embodiment, and many variations and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Theinvention, therefore, is not to be limited to any specified form orembodiment, except insofar as such limitations are expressly set forthin the claims.

I claim:
 1. Apparatus for making telephone cables with multi-wire reels,comprising a frame; rotating means arranged in a substantially balancedconfiguration for rotation about a first axis relative to said frame,said rotating means including at least one elongate member in the formof a bow offset from said axis which defines an envelope as said bowrotates about said axis; a cradle mounted for rotation about said firstaxis and dimensioned and configured to be contained within said envelopeand adapted to receive as few as a single reel for rotation about asecond axis substantially normal to said first axis mounted within saidcradle and at least one reel of which is wound with a set of at leasttwo wires which is simultaneously unwound from said as few as a singlereel; cradle fixing means for maintaining the position of said cradlesubstantially fixed about said first axis relative to said frame duringrotation of said rotating means; guide means for simultaneously guidingthe set of at least two wires from said at least one reel on saidstationary cradle to said rotating means and thereafter to saidstationary frame thereby imparting at least one twist to the set of atleast two wires unwound from the reel and a tension control devicewithin said envelope for each said at least one reel to maintain thetension in all the wires in said set of at least two wires at asubstantially constant predetermined value.
 2. Apparatus as defined inclaim 1, wherein said at least one reel is rotatably mounted on saidcradle, and the set of at least two wires is unwound by pulling thewires off said at least one reel with attendant rotation of said atleast reel.
 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising drivemeans for driving said rotating means.
 4. Apparatus for making telephonecables with multi-wire reels as defined in claim 1, wherein saidrotating means comprises at least one bow mounted for rotation relativeto said frame and cradle about said axis.
 5. Apparatus for makingtelephone cables with multi-wire reels as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid guide means includes a first pulley to which the set of at leasttwo wires is guided, said first pulley having a circumferential groovedimensioned to receive the set of at least two wires.
 6. Apparatus formaking telephone cables with multi-wire reels as defined in claim 1,wherein said guide means includes a first pulley to which the set of atleast two wires is guided, said first pulley being provided with aplurality of adjacent circumferential grooves each for receiving anotherof the set of at least two wires.
 7. Apparatus for making telephonecables with multi-wire reels as defined in claim 1, wherein said cradleis adapted receive at least two reels pivotally mounted on said cradle,at least one of the reels being wound with a set of at least two wireswhich can be simultaneously unwound therefrom, said guide meanssimultaneously guiding all the wires from all the reels on saidstationary cradle to one end of a movable bow and thence to the otherend thereof and to said stationary frame thereby imparting a doubletwist to the plurality of wires that are simultaneously unwound from thetwo reels.
 8. Apparatus for making telephone cables with multi-wirereels as defined in claim 7, whereby a bank of multi-wire reel machinesare arranged in tandem; and further comprising take up means forreceiving and winding the plurality of sets of double twisted wiresgenerated by each of the machines.
 9. Apparatus for making telephonecables with multi-wire reels as defined in claim 1, whereby a bank ofmulti-wire reel machines are arranged in tandem; and further comprisingtake up means for receiving and winding the plurality of sets of twistedwires generated by each of the machines.
 10. Apparatus for makingtelephone cables with multi-wire reels as defined in claim 1, furthercomprising drive means for rotating the reel at a speed whichcorresponds to the desired speed of take-off of the wires from the reel.11. Apparatus for making telephone cables with multi-wire reels,comprising a frame; rotating means arranged for rotation about a firstaxis relative to said frame; a cradle mounted for rotation about saidfirst axis and adapted to receive as few as a single reel for rotationabout a second axis substantially normal to said first axis mountedwithin said cradle and at least one reel of which is wound with a set ofat least two wires which is simultaneously unwound from said as few as asingle reel; cradle fixing means for maintaining the position of saidcradle substantially fixed about said first axis relative to said frameduring rotation of said rotating means; guide means for simultaneouslyguiding the set of at least two wires from said at least one reel onsaid stationary cradle to said rotating means and thereafter to saidstationary frame; and single tension control means for each said atleast one reel to maintain the tension in all the wires in said set ofat least two wires at a substantially constant predetermined value,thereby imparting a twist to a set of at least two wires unwound fromsaid as few as a single reel.
 12. Apparatus for making telephone cableswith multi-wire reels as defined in claim 11, wherein said guide meanscomprises bows of a double twist machine.
 13. Apparatus for makingtelephone cables with multi-wire reels as defined in claim 11, whereinsaid guide means comprises an arm of a single twist machine.
 14. Methodof making telephone cables with multi-wire reels, comprising the stepsof rotating at least one elongate member in the form of a bow offsetfrom a first axis for defining an envelope as said bow rotates aboutsaid first axis; mounting a cradle for rotation about said first axiswithin said envelope and receiving as few as a single reel within saidcradle for rotation about a second axis substantially normal to saidfirst axis; simultaneously unwinding from said as few as a single reel aset of at least two wires; fixing said cradle for maintaining theposition of said cradle substantially fixed about said first axisrelative to a frame during rotation; simultaneously guiding the set ofat least two wires from said at least one reel on the stationary cradleto said bow and thereafter to said frame thereby imparting at least onetwist to the set of at least two wires unwound from the reel; andmaintaining the tension in all the wires in said set of at least twowires at a substantially constant predetermined value.
 15. A method oftwisting at least two wires about each other as defined in claim 14,further comprising the step of repeating the method in a plurality oflocations arranged in tandem to each other, and taking up the twistedwires to form a composite cable.
 16. A method of twisting at least twowires about each other as defined in claim 14, wherein said twistimparting step imparts a single twist.
 17. A method of twisting at leasttwo wires about each other as defined in claim 14, wherein said twistimparting step imparts a double twist.